“Thank you, old chap. But just because it was understandable does not make it acceptable. I should reconcile with Kenneth at once.”
“A most brilliant idea. Let us go, then. The wretched man must be fully consumed by his guilty conscience by now.”
“Yes, we’ll go see him as soon as Fletcher brings us the water we asked for. I wonder what’s keeping him.”
* * *
“And what is more, if I catch you gossiping again instead of carrying out your duties, I shall have a word with Mrs. Oakley about your behavior.”
“Yes, Mr. Fletcher. Sorry, Mr. Fletcher,” said the chastened maids.
That took a bit longer than I had expected. I better hurry up and bring His Grace his water.
As he reached the entrance hall, Catherine was just coming down the stairs. She acknowledged him with a polite nod and a smile. And even though he knew that the Duke was waiting for his water, Hugh still felt obligated to ask her,
“How is Lady Cecilia feeling, Catherine?”
“She is much better now, Hugh. However, I had to beg leave to oversee the preparations for tonight’s dinner. Lady Cecilia has asked to take her supper in her bedroom. And as for His Grace, I believe Lord Farellshire and Lord Gillianghamshire will be joining us tonight.”
“Speaking of Lord Farellshire…” Mr. Fletcher leaned closer and lowered his voice, “I was on my way back from the kitchen just now and overheard Philippa and— what’s the name of the maid with brown curly hair?”
“Jenny.”
“Yes, her. I overheard Philippa and Jenny gossiping in the morning room about Lord Farellshire and Miss Meyer, who are both currently on a leisurely stroll around the east garden with Alan trailing behind them as chaperone. What are we going to do?”
In a hushed but panicked voice, she replied, “What if Miss Meyer were to reveal her personal history? Then Lord Farellshire would most certainly bring it to the attention of His Grace.”
“My thoughts precisely! What is more, if Miss Meyer does not mention it, Lord Farellshire could possibly take an interest in her whilst under the impression that she is a noblewoman. There is no doubt about it, we must not allow Miss Meyer to get too close to him. She is not aware of my deceitful—”
“Ah, there you are, Mr. Fletcher! I was worried you had somehow gotten lost.” The Duke’s voice boomed around the entrance hall and caused both Hugh and Catherine to jump. “And there’s my water! Thank you very much. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where Kenneth is, would you? I think it’s about time we reconciled.”
* * *
“So did I end up interrupting a terribly interesting lesson?” Lord Farellshire asked, as he and Meredith strolled around the eastern garden.
“If I’m being honest, not particularly,” replied Meredith with a grin. “Lady Cecilia was just completing her essay about Ancient Egypt.”
“Fascinating! I was just refreshing my memory of Egyptian history the other day. What a terribly interesting culture! Did you know that the first person to ever determine that the earth was round, was not Ferdinand Magellan, but in fact an Egyptian mathematician?”
With a polite nod, Meredith gleefully replied, “Yes. In fact, Lady Cecilia and I covered it yesterday. However, if you were my student, Lord Farellshire, I would press you to write down the mathematician’s name rather than simply identify him as some ‘Egyptian mathematician’.”
Lord Farellshire squinted at her, “My, my, such high standards, Miss Meyer! Would you perhaps be willing to show some leniency if I were to bring you an apple or something similar?”
“I am afraid I cannot be bribed, Lord Farellshire. And I shall have a word with the dean regarding your unacceptable behavior!”
With playful dramatic flair, Lord Farellshire dropped to his knees and spread his arms skyward, “Oh, woe is me! My cruel governess will have me expelled!”
They both laughed as Lord Farellshire stood up again and brushed off bits of grass that had stuck to him. Meredith thought she must have looked very silly, but even so she could not stop herself from grinning. No one had made her laugh quite like Lord Farellshire before, and she felt at ease by his side.
“I must admit, I was hoping that you would have been a shade more remorseful, Kenny.”
The Duke and Lord Gillianghamshire appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Both Meredith and Lord Farellshire immediately sobered up and approached them. Lord Farellshire spoke first, “Anthony, Iamsorry. I’m sorry for being careless and for—”
The Duke did not wait for him to finish, he extended a hand, which Lord Farellshire gladly took. Their handshake quickly transitioned into a hug with both men lightly patting each other on the back. Meredith and Lord Gillianghamshire looked on with warm smiles.
Pulling away, the Duke said, “And I hope you apologized to Miss Meyer as well.”
With an eye roll, Lord Farellshire released him and replied, “Naturally, of course. Although…” he turned around to face Meredith again, “Perhaps words are not sufficient compensation. What do you think, Tony? Would it be all right if she joined us for dinner tonight? I must atone for my sins somehow.”
